Tired of ‘dead ends,’ Bradenton renews efforts to regulate Palma Sola horseback riding
The Bradenton City Council has renewed its effort to regulate horseback riding along the Palma Sola Causeway.
The practice has caused constant headaches for Bradenton officials who have been told they have no jurisdiction over the land because the Palma Sola Causeway is maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation.
According to state statute, horses are defined as “vehicles” that are allowed to use the beach freely. But council members voted unanimously Wednesday to have City Attorney Scott Rudacille look into the city’s options.
It’s not the first time Bradenton officials have tried to do something about horseback riding. Several efforts in the past 10 years have been unsuccessful.
“It’s always been a dead end,” Councilman Gene Gallo said.
“The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is obviously dodging this,” Councilman Patrick Roff added. “They’re not wanting to say anything because then they’ll have to say something.”
But after the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners voted to ban the practice near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge last year, Bradenton officials say they may be able to use a similar approach. Pinellas staff argued that horseback riding in Tampa Bay killed off seagrass banks along the shore and banned horseback riding in the name of environmental protection.
“I think we need to march this through the proper avenues. Let’s start getting something in writing,” Gallo said.
In a presentation to the City Council, Public Works Director Jim McLellan used satellite imagery of Palma Sola to show that seagrass has shown steady growth in the bay since 2004, but there are no recent images that demonstrate the impact horseback riding has had.
“In Pinellas, you can actually see the pathways that horses took through the seagrass,” he explained. “I don’t have information to tell me that at this point, which may be why you’re getting those answers from FDEP.”
Robert Lombardo, who lives along Palma Sola Bay, said the issue has gotten worse ever since Pinellas enacted its ban. Now, those businesses have shifted their operations to Bradenton, he said.
“I know the horseback riding is causing environmental damage and the public is being impacted,” Lombardo said. “I hope the city will take some action.”
According to Julie Espy, program administrator of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Water Quality Assessment Program, horse droppings may have a negative impact on Palma Sola Bay.
“There is damage to the seagrass and the water quality can be affected when the animals deposit feces in the water,” Espy wrote in a June 24 email to Lombardo.
Lombardo recently met with Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, to investigate the issue, but the Department of Environmental Protection suggested handling the matter at a local level.
“If the Senate president couldn’t get FDEP to move, we do have an uphill fight,” said Mayor Wayne Poston.
Rudacille will reach out to city’s legislative delegation and the FDEP to figure out what the city can do to prevent horseback riding in the area.
This story was originally published August 19, 2020 at 4:28 PM.
